Hannover CL.II

The Hannover CL.II, designed by Hermann Dorner and built by the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik during the latter part of World War I, entered service in early 1918 as a two‑seat ground‑attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Dorner’s design emphasized stability, low‑speed handling and protection for the crew, resulting in an aircraft that quickly earned the nickname “the goat” for its stubborn reliability. The CL.II featured a wooden fuselage with a plywood skin, a single 160‑hp Mercedes D.IIIa engine, and a characteristic staggered biplane wing arrangement with slight sweep. Its armament consisted of a forward‑firing LMG 08/15 machine gun for the pilot and a flexible Parabellum gun for the observer, plus the capacity to carry small bomb loads. The aircraft’s robust undercarriage and generous wing area allowed it to operate from rough front‑line fields and to execute low‑altitude strafing runs with unprecedented accuracy. Although only produced in limited numbers before the armistice, the Hannover CL.II set a benchmark for post‑war ground‑attack concepts, influencing later German and international designs such as the C‑type reconnaissance planes of the 1920s. Its legacy endures as a prime example of Dorner’s innovative approach to multi‑role combat aviation.

Hermann Dorner

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Design & Classification